Aurangabad, Oct 27:
Jansahyog, a cantonment based NGO, planted apta saplings in the Padegaon area as a part of its eco-friendly Dussehra celebrations here recently. The NGO carried out the plantation drive to highlight the problem of reducing number of apta trees in and around Aurangabad.
NGO founder Prashant Gire said “ The leaves of the Apta tree (Bauhinia racemosa) are traditionally exchanged to mark the festival. However, apta trees are not found in abundance anymore. These native trees are home to many creatures and need to be planted and conserved to maintain the ecological balance. Marathwada only has 4 per cent of jungle cover left and if we do not conserve these trees then there will be no jungles left." The NGO has planted nearly 20,000 trees in the past few years in Padegaon and Cantonment area. Kailash Khandre, Sandeep Jagdhane, adv Nishant Mansigka, Nandan Jadhav and others were present.